Carmer and Grit by Sarah Jean Horwitz

I came across this book at the bookstore and it was partially a cover buy. How could you not, though?  This cover is gorgeous!

The story is about two different characters. One is an aspiring inventor and magician who goes by Carmer who is trying to help his mentor win a big competition. The other is a faerie princess who goes by Grit. She's been investigating the mysterious disappearances of faeries, and the two team up to help each other out. Grit uses her magic to help  Carmer and his mentor's act and Carmer helps Grit searching the city for the truth of the missing faeries. 

This fantasy story is in a steampunk world full of faerie magic. It's a middle grade novel, but it's not without the action and drama that you might often find in YA or even adult novels. 

Carmer and Grit was easy to read, and didn't really feel that much like a middle grade book. It felt longer and a little bit more detailed than I guess I expected a middle grade read to be. It's been a little while since I've read a middle grade book, so I was quite happy with this one. 

I do like the details in the story, especially details about the world of faerie that I've read about since childhood. There was intensity in the drama that I really appreciated as well.

Parts of this story felt a little on the slow side, but overall, it was a good read. There is a second book in this series that I might need to get my hands on too. I appreciate the fact it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but more of a nod to further adventures. 

Recommendations: For the readers of faerie, for the lovers of faerie, for the lovers of a good story with steampunk features: this is for you. 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Last year I took part in a local book/writing conference thing and I got the opportunity to sit in on a whole bunch of lectures and workshops by people who write and publish. It was pretty amazing.

One workshop that stood out to me was about writing urban fantasy. The teacher was a young woman who was so totally awesome and she talked about the book she was writing as well as her love for a particular author: Holly Black.

Until this point I was vaguely aware of the name, and not at all aware of her work, but the name stuck with me. When I realized this beautiful book was written by Holly Black and it was all over Instagram, I went and grabbed it up.

Before even starting this book I flipped to the back and ended up reading an excerpt of another one of her books. Right from the start, after only about a page and a half, I was hooked on her writing style.

I ate this book up quite quickly and got my hands on another of her books before I was even done this one. I really liked it. It was something different and awesome.

I love fairy tales, especially the ones that are actually about the fae. The fact that this book meshed the real world we live in with the fairy world was so cool and really well done. It had fairies, royalty, death, destruction, and the race to save the ones you love. It was magical.

The only problem I had with this one was the bits about high school. I'm a little over the other side of the hill in age and reading about kids in school was harder to connect with, but I didn't let that little detail bug me too much.

I loved the characters, I loved the relationships, and I loved the realness. There's a real human quality to this book that can sometimes gets a little lost once you delve into the world of fantasy.

Recommendation: For fantasy lovers, for young adult fantasy lovers, and for the lovers of fairies who wish they too can go and rescue the fairy prince in his glass coffin.

The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose by Fabi Ghittoni

Let me start off by telling you that I was given an e-book form of this book by the author to review.

I came across Fabi on Instagram and through following her I found out she was looking for reviewers for her new book called The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose. Anything to do with Elves and other creatures like that I am all over it, so of course I asked if I could read and review it!

This book is about a girl named Prudence who is going about life as a normal girl living with her best friends family. After being attacked, she finds herself in a new place with new creatures who are telling her she needs to help them stop this evil being Alanel who has escaped from prison. She must help retrieve the King's runes and learn about who she really is in order to save Arkana. She is aided by the warriors who make up The Company of the Rose who are by her side through the harrowing journey. It's got action, adventure, a little intrigue, and a lot of fun.

First off, the book is gorgeous! It's really stunning! Even the pages are beautiful! It's just an amazing looking book. Every chapter had a different picture in shades of grey on its chapter page and it was just visually interesting to read.

Now, have you ever been so excited about a book that you had to immediately explain the whole entire story to a friend in order to get them to understand how great it was? Well, reading this book felt a little like that.

There were moments where everything was sped up so quickly that I found myself being a little left behind in some places. Like the story teller was saying, yes, those moments are important to the story, but so is this and this and this and this. Like a friend was hurrying to get to her favorite part and didn't have time to slow down and explain it all.

Some parts of the book totally slowed down though, and I felt like I was actually with the characters experiencing what they were experiencing (which is what I love). There were a couple places towards the end that totally grabbed me up and really engaged me which is why, if I had to give this book a rating, I would give it a 3/5.

The bones of this story were so good though. It was such an interesting idea and I was excited to see how it was going to turn out. I did feel though that I had many questions that weren't getting answered and that did take away a little of the fun for me. All in all, it was a good first book from a new author.

Recommendation:  Check this book out on Goodreads and on Instagram. If you are interested in the synopsis, don't pass this by. You kind of have to work with this book for it to work for you, but the story is pretty cool!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Last year this book was all over bookstagram and I was a little wary about it.

Now I have read other books by this author which I enjoyed but for some reason every time I stopped to look at the book at the bookstore I kept putting it back.

It's about wizard called the dragon who comes to the village every 10 years and takes a girl. He does this is exchange for keeping the people safe from the Wood that borders their village. It's fairly clear from the back of the book that the girl he takes isn't the one every one thinks he will take.

I think it was this basic outline that was turning me away at first.  I couldn't see where it was going and how great that it could turn out.

This book took so many turns that I wasn't expecting and each one was more amazing than the last. I really had no clue where this book was going to end up. 

I will admit that I was a little bit silly in not realizing on the back it says the dragon is a wizard because when I started reading I thought the dragon was an actual creature type of thing but right off the bat you find out he's not and I was pleasantly surprised.  Yeah. Still though, I was more than happy with the result. 

This book has magic, adventure, emotion, and intrigue. It is such a lovely tale that sweeps you up and spins a web of fairy tale and fantasy around you like a warm blanket. It's a really great literary distraction, so don't be afraid of picking this one up when you're stressed out. It will totally take your mind off your troubles. 

I've got no idea if there will be more after this one but I am dying to go back into the lives of these characters. This is definitely on my reread list for this year!

Recommendation: Read this. Immediately. You will love it. I promise!

The BFG by Roald Dahl

If you haven't read this yet, or at least heard of the amazingness that is Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, among others!) then please let this book be a lovely introduction to his work.

This book is short, sweet, and all types of great. As a child I read the odd book or two of his, but I was reading at a higher level pretty quickly and I think that's why I may have missed out on quite a few great children's classics. I think I did read it as a child, but I can't remember so when I found a set of Roald Dahl's books on sale, I grabbed it up.

The reason I'm talking about this book today is because it's coming out as a movie very soon and I am excited!! I'm making my boyfriend read the book too before we go and see it. I have high hopes for the movie and I cannot wait to see it because I'm sure I'm going to love it!

Recommendation: Read this, go see the movie, enjoy the greatness! You won't be disappointed.

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

This book caught my eye on Instagram and I adored the cover. I know this is technically a kids book, but some of the best so often are.

I really liked the idea behind the story. It's about a young girl who's baby brother gets kidnapped by crows and taken into the impassable wilderness outside of town and she must go in to find her brother with the help of a friend from school. 

Yes, like others, I thought of Labyrinth too (girl rescuing her baby brother from a magical creature anyone?) but it also reminded me of The Chronicles of Narnia, both I really enjoyed. 

There are cool talking creatures, interesting characters, and a whole new world to explore in this book. Turns out its the first of a trilogy and I'm excited to read the other two. 

I kind of thought that this book could have been about teenagers and it still would have worked without any issues. There was also a lot more war and battles than I typically see in these kinds of books for children, but I didn't mind it. Only other odd thing was the family dynamic. It seemed a little weird to me, but I guess it had to be because then the story wouldn't have worked itself out in the same way and I can get behind that. I won't say more because I don't want to give any spoilers.

It was good. The pictures were really cool, the story was an easy read, and I liked it. I have already bought the next two and I'm going to read and review those too.

I read some reviews on Goodreads that complained about the beginning and its references to a hipster Portland and such, but the rest of the story is so much more then that. Don't let that kind of silliness distract you from a great story since that stuff is not what the book is really about.

Recommendation: If you enjoyed Narnia and the Labyrinth, give this a try. It's pretty darn good. 

Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints by P.J. Brackston

This one was another library rental. I grabbed it up because it's a mystery related to the Brothers Grimm stories. This one is the first one in a series by the author P.J. Brackston.

In the book Gretel is grown up and she is a private detective who lives with her brother Hans. The characters themselves are quite interesting and different then I would have imagined. I think that's part of the fun. We all have ideas about the old fairy tales. Along the way they meet another character or two from the old stories which I thought was pretty neat too. 

The story took a couple totally different turns that I wasn't expecting but I did enjoy them. Gretel was one of those characters that you may not love, but you become invested in what happens to her and it makes you keep reading. I really loved a lot of the different elements of the story and I was hooked to reading it till I finished it. I do think I will keep my eyes out for any more by this author. 

As far as mysteries go, it wasn't one of the greatest I've read, but the overall story and the characters made it a good read. 

Recommendation: For those who enjoy a good story, especially fans of the Brother Grimm stories. 

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was my first foray into the world of fairy tale retelling. It was also my first read by Gregory Maguire. I picked both of these up at a used book store purely because I had heard of Wicked and how people loved that book, and his others.

I like Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. It was interesting and I found the twists it put on the original to be quite good. I appreciated that the author kept to the traditional fairy tale by setting it in another time and place even though his story was a little more on the realistic side.

I did enjoy it, and I now have Wicked on my shelf, which I will get to at some point. I hope I enjoy it as much as others do. I will try to keep an open mind when I read it.

The copy of Mirror, Mirror that I picked up was an ARC, so I'm not 100% sure that it is exactly like the published copy, but I tried to read it, and failed. I just couldn't get into it. It was not enough for me, and I found myself getting bored. I put it down and I couldn't make myself pick it up again. I don't like to leave books unfinished, but with so many other books calling me from my shelf, I didn't want to bother. I'm sorry to those who loved it, but sadly I didn't.

Recommendation: Read these if you like, but neither one is on my favourites list, and I've actually removed my copies from my shelves and donated them to make room for new reads.

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

This novel is the perfect story. It's got romance, fairy tale, destiny, ghosts, mystery, and so much more goodness. It's funny, serious, heart warming, and full of love. Quite like any other story I've read before.

The book is about a girl who finds out that the character in the stories her mother used to tell her is not only real but has passed away. This woman has also left the girl things in her will, and has requested that the girl carry out a task for her. There is so much more to this book, but I do not want to spoil it.

The mystery in this story is more of a simple finding out of facts. Its not gruesome at all. These mysteries are about love, of life, a mysterious photo, ghosts, a strange blue notebook, and a stuffed bunny named Reginald.

This book really is a perfect fairy tale for current time. It has all the elements that make dreams come true, with just a little hint of mystery.

I came across the Aunt Dimity series years ago in the library. I've read a few of the following novels, this one being the first in the series. I'm sure I've read this one too, but honestly it felt like a new story when I read it. In my opinion, this story could be a stand alone because its just a wonderful story. I can say though that many of the following books are also pretty darn awesome.

Recommendation: Perfect book for a lover of a good story, for a lover of fairy tales, for a lover of the purest forms of mystery. No matter how you slice it, its great. A definite must read.